The Team: June-July, 2007

Who we are:

Project Director

Paul Adams is the director of Prairienet, a unit of the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Prairienet works with disadvantaged individuals and communities to bridge the digital divide. It offers an opportunity for students and faculty to apply their knowledge and skills in practical applications that provides immediate benefit to communities (see www.prairienet.org). Paul Adams has served with Prairienet for the last nine years. He has an academic and professional background in urban planning and community development.

Paul will be leading this university engagement project. In addition, he will conduct research on the potential for a Phase II wireless network implementation (to connect remote plantations to education and library services). Paul will also be meeting with representatives of local NGOs and government officials to possibly develop future projects with other university disciplines.

School of Architecture

Brett Bridgeland worked with the director of the airport in Sao Tome to design an expansion of the existing passenger terminal, which currently lacks adequate security and cannot handle increased passenger traffic, restraining development of the island during the Phase 1 Trip. Brett’s professional interests lie in sustainability and regionalism in design and planning. For the Phase 2 trip Brett will be returning to Sao Tome to present his Master’s thesis, a design for the new airport terminal at Sao Tome, and will continue development of the scheme as necessary. He will be staying from July 14-September 22, and will also conduct research relating to historic preservation, ecotourism, and sustainable development on Sao Tome.

Bridgette Richardson is a second-year Master’s student in the School of Architecture at UIUC with a dual Masters in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Construction Management. Work experience includes Outreach Weekend Coordinator with UIUC’s East St. Louis Action Research Project as well as architectural internships. Her interests include architectural design as well as sustainable issues. Bridgette will be working with the Urban Planning team on the airport campus project.

East St. Louis Action Research Project

Vicki Eddings is the Program Administrative Coordinator for the East St. Louis
Action Research Project (ESLARP). She coordinates the Outreach Projects and
works closely with ESLARP’s partners in East St. Louis. Her role is to begin and maintain the process of forming partnerships with NGOs in Sao Tome.

Graduate School of Library and Information Science

Beth Larkee is in the Certificate of Advanced Study program at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS). She earned her Master’s Degree in 2006 from GSLIS, concentrating on distance education and digital divide issues. For the past two years she has worked at GSLIS in the Office of Information Technology and Research. On the Phase 1 trip she worked in the National Library and Airport, installing computer labs and working with the staff to discover how the computers can best fit their needs. During the Phase 2 trip she will expand the National Library and airport labs, and install new labs in regional libraries and high schools.

Jake Odland is a second year Master’s student in Library and Information Science at the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. (GSLIS). His interests include new technologies, information access, and the internet as a communications/information-sharing tool. He works in the University Library as a graduate assistant in the Africana Library and at Prairienet as a Hardware Support graduate assistant. On the Phase 1 trip, he worked with Beth Larkee to form partnerships with the information community in Sao Tome and Principe and to install a computer lab in the National Library and airport. During Phase 2, he will continue installing computer labs and training staff, including a lab installation on the island of Principe.

Stephanie Renne is a second year Masters student at GSLIS, with interests in International Librarianship, African Studies, and Ethnomusicology. She has a fellowship to study Wolof with the African Studies Center and has lived in Dakar, Senegal. She is currently holds assistantships at the ACDIS (Arms Control, Disarmament and International Security) Library and the Anthropology department. She is conversationally fluent in French and Wolof. On the Phase 2 trip to Sao Tome she will begin setting up an English Book Center, consisting mainly of donated children’s books, at the Sao Tome National Library. She will be assisting in expanding the computer lab at the National Library and will be meeting with the staff at the National Archives of Sao Tome to discuss the possibility of forming future projects and partnerships.

Martin Wolske has been with GSLIS since 1995, and currently works in the Office of Information Technology and Research as the User Services Coordinator in addition to teaching LIS451 Introduction to Networked Information Systems. His classes alone have installed more than 60 computer labs in Illinois as part of the service learning final project. Since he enjoys time in the wilderness, Martin’s main project for the Phase 2 Trip will be working on the wireless networking, connecting the remote areas of the island to the Internet.

Urban and Regional Planning

During the Phase 2 trip we will be developing and proposing planning scenarios for the international airport and surrounding airport campus that explore opportunities and constrains of various topics including: airport expansion/redesign, creation of a free trade zone, hotel and commercial development and the relocation or reconfiguration of the nearby fishing village.

Jay Bieszke is a second-year Master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning at UIUC. He received a degree in architecture from Ball State University in 1997 and is a Registered Architect in the state of Florida. His work experience includes construction management, contingency planning, and facilities management as well as architectural design. His current interests include economic development and post-disaster planning and redevelopment.

Matthew Claus is a second-year Master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning at UIUC. He received a degree in Biblical Studies and Theology from Moody Bible Institute. His career interest is in planning for international relief and development. He enjoys building things, cooking and bicycling on rainy days.

Angie Stenson is a second-year Master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning at UIUC. She received a B.S. in Sociology from North Dakota State University in 2005 with minors in Community Development and Emergency Management. Her career interests include community and international economic development. She likes to travel and play soccer.

Joel VanEssen is a second-year Master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning at UIUC. He received a degree in architecture from UIC in 1996 and completed registration requirements for the state of Illinois. His work experience includes construction management, facilities management, architectural design and planning. His current interests include community development and urban design.

Additional members of the Urban Planning team (not traveling to Sao Tome) include:

Eric Hansen is a second-year Master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning at UIUC. He received a B.S. in Political Science in 2003 from Illinois State University and a degree in Culinary Arts from New England Culinary Institute and has worked as a chef in Napa Valley, San Francisco and Martha’s Vineyard.

Andrew Jensen is a second-year Master’s student in Urban and Regional Planning at UIUC. He received a B.S. in Community and Regional Planning in 2005 from Iowa State University, and worked as a Transportation Planner before beginning graduate work at UIUC.

Monticello High School

Ashley Adams is a junior at Monticello High School with interests in music (choir, bassoon, piano, flute, and bass guitar), karate (second degree black belt), and sports (golf and soccer). She would like to study Spanish and Foreign Affairs in college. She has been taking Spanish for the last two years, and next year will begin French in addition to Spanish. She has been studying Portuguese in anticipation to going to Sao Tome and Principe. While in Sao Tome, Ashley will be teaching English as a second language to approximately ten high school students.